FIANCÉ(E) OR PROPOSED CIVIL PARTNER VISA

The Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa category is for engaged partners of British citizens or persons with indefinite leave to remain who wish to marry or enter into a civil partnership within 6 months of arriving in the UK.

What are the main eligibility requirements for a Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa?

In order to qualify for a Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:

Your partner is British or holds Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK;

You are both over the age of 18;

You have met in person;

You are both free to marry or enter into a civil partnership;

Your relationship is genuine and you intend to live together permanently in the UK;

You intend to marry or enter into a civil partnership within six months of your arrival in the UK;

Any previous relationships have broken down permanently;

You will be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds;

There is adequate accommodation for you and any dependents;

You speak and understand English to the required level.

In order to demonstrate that you can be adequately maintained in the UK without recourse to public funds, you will need to satisfy a financial requirement.

You will need to demonstrate that your partner has a gross annual income of at least:

£18,600; plus

£3,800 for a first child (who is not British, settled or an EEA national); plus

£2,400 for each additional child (who is not British, settled or an EEA national).

You can meet this requirement through salaried and non-salaried income, self-employed income, salary and/or dividends from a company of which you are a Director, property rental income, dividends and income from investments, stocks, shares, bonds or trust funds, pension income, insurance payments, maintenance payments and cash savings above £16,000 that have been held for at least six months, unless you can demonstrate that they have come from a specified source.

Different considerations will apply if your partner is in receipt of certain benefits.

What else do I need to know about the Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa?

Applications for Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visas can only be made from outside the UK.

If your application for a Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa is successful, you will be granted permission to enter and remain in the United Kingdom for a period of 6 months. After your wedding or civil partnership ceremony has taken place, you will then be eligible to apply to switch into the Spouse or Civil Partner category without having to leave the UK.

If your marriage or civil partnership does not take place before your Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa expires, you can apply to extend your stay for a further 6 months in order to allow the ceremony to take place, provided that there is a good reason why it has not done so to date and there is evidence that a ceremony will take place within the next 6 months.

Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa holders are not permitted to work in the UK.

How our immigration barristers can help

Our immigration barristers regularly assist foreign national Fiancé(e) and Proposed Civil Partners to relocate to the UK with their British citizen or settled partners.

Whether you require expert advice on the requirements of the Immigration Rules, an independent assessment of your prospects of qualifying for a visa or professional assistance with preparing an immigration application, our immigration barristers can help.

The financial requirement rules are particularly complex and include mandatory requirements in terms of the documentary evidence that must be provided to UK Visas and Immigration in order to demonstrate access to the relevant funds. Our immigration barristers specialise in assisting applicants with complicated financial circumstances to secure successful outcomes in their Fiancé(e)s and Proposed Civil Partner visa applications.

We pride ourselves on being approachable and proactive in understanding and meeting our clients’ needs. We are a highly driven team, dedicated to providing clear and reliable immigration advice to family members as part of a professional and friendly service.

WE CAN ALSO ASSIST WITH

In order to satisfy the requirements of the Immigration Rules for a Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa, you will need to demonstrate that there is adequate accommodation for yourself, your partner and any dependants. Our barristers can arrange for a qualified surveyor with specialist knowledge and skills to attend your property to assess and produce a comprehensive report that can be submitted in support of your application.

Applications for Spouse or Civil Partner visas

The Spouse or Civil Partner visa category is for partners of British citizens or persons with indefinite leave to remain in the UK, who wish to join, or stay with their husband, wife or civil partner in the UK. This category leads to settlement in the UK after a period of 5 years.

Applications by partners of HM Forces

The Partner of HM Forces category is for partners of UK armed forces personnel who wish to join, or stay with, their husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried partner, fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner in the UK.

Same-day premium service appointments for Fiancé(e)s and Proposed Civil Partners

If you already have leave to remain in the UK as a Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner and are applying to extend your stay or to settle in the UK as a Spouse or Civil Partner, you may be able to submit your application in person and receive a decision on the same day, using UK Visas and Immigration’s Same-Day Premium Service.

We can arrange for one of our legal associates, who is familiar with your case, to accompany you to the premium service centre, assist you with registering, provide assistance with enrolling your biometrics and liaise with the immigration officer, caseworker and, if required, your barrister on your behalf.

If your application for entry clearance as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner has been refused, our immigration barristers can advise you on the merits of making a fresh application and/or challenging the decision by way of an appeal to the Immigration Tribunal.

As well as preparing high quality visa applications, our immigration barristers provide professional legal advice and representation in relation to every aspect of pursuing a UK immigration appeal.

Our immigration appeal barristers advise on the merits of appealing against Home Office immigration decisions, draft grounds of appeal and applications for permission to appeal, prepare appeal bundles and provide representation at immigration appeal hearings before the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal and higher courts.

WHAT CAN WE HELP YOU WITH?

To arrange an initial consultation meeting with one of our immigration barristers, contact our Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner visa team on 0203 617 9173 or complete our enquiry form.

Expert advice & representation from immigration barristers that you can rely on.

AWARDS

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Richmond Chambers LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales and authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Barrister members are also regulated by the Bar Standards Board.